Punkadelphia

I understand Victorino's reaction after he grounded out. The only way to truly and really get revenge in baseball is to win, to do well on the field. So I think Victorino was thinking that his revenge for the pitch at the head would come with a home run or other solid hit in that at bat. If he had gotten on with a single he would have tried to steal for sure. He was going to show Kuroda who is boss with his bat, and not in the way Juan Maricial once tried it with Johnny Roseboro. But he grounded out meekly. His revenge was thwarted, and so, rendered impotent, he had to yap at Kuroda some more, whine some more, act like a little punk some more. And that brought Manny roaring in.

Manny knows he can't beat up on anyone. Hell, I'm not even sure what kind of fighter he is. He wanted to be held back. But that doesn't matter. Manny will be locked in now. He's going to get his revenge at the plate. We're talking about someone who can hit a pitch well below the strike zone well beyond the left-center fence. Manny could smack a bomb to dead center in the old Polo Grounds if he was locked in. The Phillies have awakened the dreadlocked beast. Victorino and his crybaby routine have roused Manny and the Dodgers. Manny didn't act like a punk when thuggish Myers threw at his head for absolutely no reason. I think Manny felt in game 2 that he'd get his revenge with the bat. And he did! But his three-run home run didn't help the Dodgers win game 2. In the end it's all about winning. The only way the Dodgers win the brushback war with the Punkadelphia Punkies is if they win the series. From now on the only purpose pitches the Dodgers should throw are the kind that strike guys out.

Martin was hit twice and nearly beaned another time. He's had to deal with his staff ace very nearly throwing him under the bus after the game two meltdown. If Martin isn't locked in now he'll never be. But maybe it's nonsense to talk about players being locked in, to talk about players suddenly getting better because they want revenge or something. Weren't they all trying as hard as they could already? What more motivation do you need than making the World Series?

But this Phillies initiated nonsense changes things for fans for sure. For me at least. Of course I've wanted the Dodgers to win the whole time. I've wanted it bad. But now, just as much, I want to see those Phillies lose. The Phillies are as hated as the Giants or the Snakes now. They've started a brushback war for no good reason. Then they cried when the Dodgers dared to fire back. Punks. I've doubled down on this series now. It wasn't like that with the Cubs. I didn't hate the Cubs. They just happened to be in the way of the Dodgers. If the Cubs had beat the Dodgers I would have been upset about the Dodgers losing, but not about the Cubs winning. But the Phillies must now lose. Time to draw even, Dodgers. I'll be there to see you do it.